XFiles Fox William Mulder
by spookysister7
Summary: Mulder goes too deep, will Scully and Skinner pay the price? presksc maybe. character death


Title - Fox. William. Mulder.

Author - Spookysister7

Email address - - http/ - PG-13 all violence, no lang. light sexual ref.

Category - SkT, A, MT, ST, UST

Spoilers - Hollywood AD, Tiberius

Keywords - SkT, ST, MT, angst

Summary - Mulder goes too deep, will Scully and Skinner pay the price?

Feedback - Please, oh please, oh please! I'm young, I'm stupid, I need help! Thanx! Post anywhere! Just keep my name and let me know.

Disclaimer -

Mulder and Scully are not mine

They aren't making me a dime

They belong to my man, Chris

And Fox, the company of bliss

Skinner does not belong to me

But if he did, I'd be filled with glee

Krycek and Flukie, don't forget Eve

Alright, I'm done, and now I'll leave

But just remember, morning glory

They're not mine, now read the story

Disclaimer poem by: Kelly Paleczny

Author's note - Die Hard SkinnerChick! I'm a big fan of 'What would happen if...', so here we go! (Keep reading, it gets better... or is that worse?) I always wondered if Mulder were out of the picture, would Skinner get a shot?

Fox. William. Mulder.

(After eternal photographer/ Scully shot episode)

May 2, 5:32 pm

Montpellier, VT

Conference Room

"I can't, Scully! I can't do it anymore. I won't. What he does, I… I just can't get in his head!"

"Mulder, you have to. You're the only one who can catch him! I don't want you to do this either, but if we can find him and stop him, then we have to. We owe it to the victims." Mulder sighed, and Scully thought it was in acceptance. It wasn't. All he could think is what would happen when he succeeded in profiling this murderer. He sighed at the thought of explaining to Scully, logical, realistic Scully, that she needed to get as far away from him as possible. He turned around and held the hand she had laid on his shoulder. He caught her eye and tried to explain as rationally and calmly as possible.

"You're right, Scully. I should be able to get into his head, but I've stopped trying. I can't get into his head if I know you're around. You know what he does to these women, those people, you know what would happen if I should… If I get too deep. I don't want you around if that happens." Scully shook her head and pulled her hand from his tight grasp.

"Mulder, I refuse to believe that you would hurt me! I'll be right here, and I'll make sure you don't get too deep. I'll be fine, Mulder. So will you." Mulder saw the determination in her eyes and realized he was not going to win this battle. He sighed again, and Scully nodded, satisfied that she had won this round. As she stood to go get the cup of coffee she was so desperately craving, Mulder spoke again.

"Scully. I know you think I'll be okay in this case, but I have a very bad feeling." Mulder tore his eyes from the carpet, and the fear Scully saw in them caused her stomach to sink.

"Every time I see one of his victims, all I can think… Scully, I think about how I'd do it better." He shuddered as he strangled out the last sentence. Scully gasped and kneeled down in front of him.

"Mulder, I know for a fact that you are not a murderer. You could never do those things." As she stood and started to leave again, all Mulder could see was red hair and blue eyes in a pool of crimson. He heard the door shut and pulled out his cell phone. He hit his speed dial button and waited for it to ring. Fixing his tie, he sat up when a woman answered.

"Assistant Director Skinner's office, how may I help you?"

"Can I talk to the Assistant Director, please?" Mulder asked politely.

May 3, 1:00 pm

Montpellier, VT

Hallway

"Sir? What are you doing here?"

"Agent Mulder requested my presence, Agent Scully. He said he needed someone who knew when, and when not, to listen to you." Scully's nostrils flared at the insinuation. She reigned in her temper and tried to respond coolly to Skinner's words.

"Indeed. Well, Sir, I assure you that everything is under control and is actually running smoothly."

"I'm well aware of the situation, Agent Scully, and I'm also aware that Agent Mulder has sufficient reason to worry about your safety in this case." Scully was about to retort when Agent Wendell, only a year out of Quantico, called her name fearfully.

"Um, Agent Scully, you better get in here, um, Agent Mulder, well, he's tearing up the conference room." Without a pause, both Skinner and Scully ran towards the room.

May 3, 8:26 pm

Montpellier, VT

Conference Room

"He's not just killing them; he's getting off on it…The fear… The other blood we keep finding on the bodies, it's the men's. He kills the lover in front of the women, right before he kills them… I'd let them watch each other die, but he's not that smart…" Mulder kept mumbling to himself as he pieced together the information he had torn off the conference room walls. Skinner glanced over at Scully, feeling an odd sense of fear crawl over him at Mulder's frenzied whispers, but Scully had eyes for none but her partner.

"Mulder, listen… That's good; we know what to look for. I found your profile, we caught him. It's okay, Mulder, you can come out now, it's okay. We've got him. He's in prison, you don't have to look anymore, we've got him… Mulder?" Scully backed away as Mulder finally stopped mumbling and looked at her with brilliant blue, hate-filled eyes.

"Caught him? Caught him! You'll never catch me; I'm too smart for you! Keep killing, fun, fun…" Mulder stopped suddenly as Skinner and Scully shared a concerned glance. Calculatingly, Mulder shuddered and closed his eyes.

"Mulder, Mulder, it's okay, it's okay." Scully whispered soothingly as she rubbed his back in gentle circles. She looked up at Skinner.

"He just needs some rest. Will you help me get him up?" Skinner nodded and bent to help his agent off the low chair.

"Come on Mulder, let's get you home." Neither of them noticed the sly azure glance that peeked out from under Mulder's fluttering eyelashes.

May 4, 2:04 am

Crystal City, VA, near Washington DC

Skinner's Apartment

The phone rang. Skinner looked blearily up at the clock and grumbled at the early hour.

"This better be important." He snapped as he picked up the phone.

"Skinner? I… I need help. He... he keeps telling me to call Skinner, are you him? Will you help us? We, we need help. Scully? Who is…? No. Skinner, Skinner answered. Scully, call her. Tell Scully… run… No. Tell help. We're in Quan… Quantag… Rhode Island. Help, hurry, fast, NO! RUN!" Click. The phone went dead.

Still in shock, Skinner's brain leapt from one theory to another. He had to call Scully. That was Mulder's voice, but it wasn't right. He had never heard him so… so terrified, so confused. Skinner called a number he'd had reason to memorize.

"Agent Scully? Something's wrong with Mulder…"

May 4, 5:48 am

Rhode Island

Mulder's Summer House

The rising sun had not yet lit the thick undergrowth surrounding the unkempt summer house. Skinner and Scully pulled into the cluttered driveway and got out of Skinner's standard issue midsized car. Anxiously, they knocked on the front door. It swung open. They looked at it in surprise, knowing that Mulder would have to be down and out to forget locking the front door. Hands on their weapons, they entered cautiously. Whimpers emanated from the back of the house.

"I won't. I promise. Please, don't hurt me. I… I'll be quiet. I won't say anythin'. Please, I'll do it…" Scully rushed to the man curled up by the back door.

"Mulder, Mulder, shhh. It's okay. It's alright. I'm here. Skinner and I are here to help you. It'll be okay, no one will hurt you." She reached to comfort him, but he flinched from her touch and peered around her to look at Skinner.

"I don't wanna go back there. I didn't do nothin' this time! I promise. I didn't fib or nothin'! Please, don't make me go there." Fox's large brown eyes watered as he looked at Skinner.

"Please, Daddy? I really didn't do anythin'. I was good." Scully looked at Skinner with her mouth wide in astonishment. Skinner swallowed hard. If Mulder was this far gone…

"It's okay, Mulder." Skinner said comfortingly. When Fox kept whimpering, Skinner looked to Scully for aide.

"Fox." She whispered. "Call him Fox." Skinner nodded in understanding. He crept closer to Fox and tried to calm him.

"Fox, it's okay, Son. No one's going to hurt you. Come on out. It's okay." Skinner reached to pat Fox's arm. At the feel of his hand, Fox screeched.

"No! No! I'll go! Not in front of Samantha. Please, I'll do whatever you say." Fox pleaded desperately. Fox stood suddenly, catching Scully off guard and making her fall backwards and away from him. Glancing around as if searching for someone, he ran out the backdoor and into the woods.

Skinner hadn't quite figured out what had just taken place, but he knew that something was seriously wrong. After he helped Scully up, they both ran after the quickly retreating figure that stumbled through the dense forest.

"Mulder! What's the matter with him?" Scully panted as she chased after her partner. Skinner and Scully slowed and stopped as they lost sight of Fox.

"Where'd he go? He was only a couple of steps ahead of us." Skinner said, searching the undergrowth. Scully declined to answer, looking for any way for Mulder to have disappeared so quickly. Spotting a suspiciously clear area in the overgrown trail, she investigated.

"Sir? I think I found some kind of bomb shelter. Mulder's prints lead right to it." Lifting the large camouflaged door, she mused that no one would ever find such a secluded hiding place, unless they knew where to look.

"Mulder?" Skinner called into the darkness. Only Fox's faint whimper answered, and, as they descended into darkness, a small voice began to repeat a single word over and over until it was unintelligible.

"Run run runrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrun…"

May 4, 10:46am

Rhode Island

Bomb Shelter

Skinner's moan escaped his lips before he had a chance to silence it. His head pounded in sync with his heart. The dull thud of the blood pulsing through his veins seemed amplified in the absolute darkness that surrounded him.

"Sir? Are you awake?" Scully's voice echoed in the confines of the shelter.

"Barely. What happened?" Skinner tried to feel his head, and soon realized that his hands were tied.

"Why am I tied? What's going on?" As his anger grew, so did the volume of the bass drum in his head.

"Sir! Calm down. I don't think you have a concussion, but high blood pressure will only aggravate the pain. It's Mulder. He hid in the darkness and hit you over the head with a two by four. He grabbed your gun and threatened to shoot you if I didn't cooperate. I'm sorry, but he made me tie you up. I tried not to make it too tight." As she spoke, Skinner vaguely remembered someone coming out of the darkness… then nothing but pain. Overcoming the throbbing behind his eyeballs, Skinner strained to see Scully. It was impossible.

"Are you okay, Scully?"

"I'm fine." She said, sighing. "But Mulder is an expert at tying people up. Don't try to stand, or you'll strangle yourself. He let me figure that one out by myself." She coughed, as if to prove the consequences of her actions. Skinner opened his mouth to ask another question, when a sudden blade of sunlight ripped through the darkness. Recoiling from the abrupt transition, both Scully and Skinner were unprepared for the cold voice that accompanied the warm sunlight.

"Hey, Skinner, It's about time you woke up. For a while I thought I might have killed you. Would have been a real shame to lose you this early in the game. After all, I think a big, tough Marine would be loads of fun, and we've got plenty of time, don't we? I guess I'm the boss this time around." Mulder snarled as he sauntered down the rough metal steps of the bomb shelter. Keeping an eye on Mulder, Skinner glanced over to his left, where he thought Scully was tied. Mulder snickered as he saw Skinner wince at Scully's black eye.

"What's the matter, Skinman? Thought I'd take better care of my partner? Well, you're wrong. I'll kill her in a second and don't think that I'd hesitate with you." Mulder stopped walking towards Skinner and stood in front of Scully. He bent down and took her chin roughly.

"Mulder, you're hurting me." Scully said quietly, hoping to reach him. Mulder bared his teeth in an obscene sketch of a grin and slapped her hard across the face. Skinner almost exploded in anger, but Scully's eyes begged him to stay silent. He held his tongue.

"I wasn't talking to you. When I want you to talk, I'll tell you. And don't call me Mulder. The name's William." He stood and seemed to forget her completely, for which Skinner was overwhelmingly thankful.

"William, you know they'll find you. You can't keep us prisoners without someone noticing."

"Well, Skinner, I'm smarter than you think. Your car is now in a neighbor's garage. These particular neighbors only come here the 4th of July weekend, so I think we have plenty of time. I've cleaned house, so there are no fingerprints, and both of you have just taken two weeks paid vacation. By the way, Dana, I called your mother and told her that we'd be out on a case for a while. She told me to tell you she loved you." Mulder sneered as he spoke and kicked Skinner roughly in the hip.

"You better enjoy the daylight hours; because once the night comes, the fun begins. See you soon."

May 4, 11:00 pm

Rhode Island

Bomb Shelter

"It has got to be night by now. What's he waiting for?" Skinner said, squirming uncomfortably on the hard dirt floor.

"Well, Sir, he is a psychologist. He's probably trying to mess with our minds. Alter our time sense or raise our anxiety levels."

"It's working." Skinner said dryly. "Scully, if we're going to be here for any period of time, I'd prefer if you called me Walter. There are only so many Sirs one person can take." Scully smirked at that and conceded.

"Okay, Walter. Call me Dana. Somehow it doesn't seem appropriate to call your boss by his first name and not return the gesture." Skinner's mouth turned up wryly.

"Well, now that we're on a first name basis, how do we get out of here?"

"He's got to let us eat sometime, doesn't he? Somehow, I doubt he's going to feed us himself. When he unties our hands, we make our move. He can't watch both of us." Scully's stomach growled in response to her words. They both chuckled in the darkness.

The door creaked open. It was so dark in the bomb shelter that even the pale moonlight made the prisoners wince. Mulder's silhouette seemed larger than possible as he sauntered down the stairs. The heavy door shut behind him with a low thud, and Mulder reached up through the darkness to pull a thin metal cord. A bright 60 watt bulb popped to life. The harsh light revealed an intimidating sight. A thick strip of leather was wrapped around Mulder's right shoulder and hung down to his left hip. It was filled with a variety of knives, some as thin as razors, others as large as cleavers. Peeking over his right shoulder was a thick leather handle, connected to who knows what, and in its holster was the ever present Glock. Mulder toyed with a large hunting knife, stroking along the edge with his thumb and licking off the blood that welled up. He seemed to enjoy studying the increasingly pale faces in front of him.

"Skinner." Both of the prisoners jumped at the sudden words that broke the tense silence. "Stand up."

"I can't. You made sure of that." Skinner's confident voice betrayed none of the nervous energy he was holding back. Mulder sneered and bent down in front of Skinner's hunched form.

"Move or talk and I might slip." Mulder said to both of them as he slid the knife towards Skinner's belly. Skinner tensed as Scully looked on in uneasy expectation. Reveling in the frightened response of his captive, Mulder twitched and left a thin red streak across Skinner's stomach. Skinner hissed at the sudden burn of the cut, but didn't move. Mulder seemed pleased. Moving quickly, he sliced through the rope that bound Skinner's feet to the lasso around his neck. Keeping a firm hold on the choke collar, Mulder gestured for Skinner to stand.

Skinner slowly stood upright, his joints protesting at every movement. Pulling him towards the center of the small room, Mulder threw the end of the rope over a support beam. Mulder pulled the rope tighter and tighter until Skinner had to stand on his tip toes to breathe. Tying it off, Mulder stepped back to admire his work. Skinner labored to keep the air flowing into his body. His tied arms put even more pressure on his straining lungs and he had to fight for every breath. Mulder seemed satisfied to watch as his boss slowly suffocated. Finally, Scully could take no more. She knew she risked drawing Mulder's murderous attention to herself, but she couldn't stand watching Skinner's struggles grow weaker as his lips turned blue.

"Mul… William. Please, let him down. You don't want to kill him." Mulder pivoted to face her and seemed to fight a battle with his emotions. A look of softness and overwhelming fear came into his moss green eyes and was suddenly torn away by a hard, blue-eyed hatred.

"That's where you're wrong. I do want to kill him. You're the one that wants him to live." A sly look flitted over his face and he grinned.

"What would you do, if I did let him down? What would I get out of it?" Before she could think it through, Skinner's legs gave out and he began to choke.

"What would you do?" Mulder asked again, arms crossed.

"Anything. Just let him down, please." She hated to beg, but how could she let Walter choke to death in front of her? Her words meant nothing, Mulder wouldn't hurt her.

"Hurry, please!" Mulder nodded sharply, once, and then he strode over to Skinner's increasingly limp form. Mulder untied the knot with a well placed jerk, and Skinner fell to the floor. At first, he didn't move. Just as Scully began to fear that she hadn't spoken up fast enough, Walter took a shuddering breath. Mulder grunted as he leaned over to whisper in Skinner's ear.

"You got lucky this time, old man. Next time, I'll have no reason to let you loose." Mulder pulled Skinner over to a post and tied the leash around the beam.

"I'll be back. See that he lives." Mulder said as he gestured toward Skinner.

"How? Untie my hands and I'll…" Scully fell silent as the door slammed shut.

"At least he left the light on." She mumbled as she worked her way towards Walter. She helped him sit up shakily.

"Walter, are you okay? Can you breathe?" Skinner nodded and coughed harshly.

"Why did you tell him that?"

"What?"

"Why did you tell him you'd do anything?"

"I couldn't just let you die, could I? What did you want me to do?"

"You can't do anything. I won't let you."

"You won't let me? Well, it seems like neither of us has much of a choice. Besides, what's the worst he could do? He'd never hurt me. He couldn't."

"Dana, he gave you that black eye. He slapped you. What makes you think he won't do worse? That he won't… That William would do things that Mulder couldn't. You've seen the way he is. I think Mulder's still there." Skinner coughed and grimaced.

"But he's not the one in control, is he?" Scully shook her head, disbelieving.

"Mulder couldn't hurt me. He just couldn't."

"Mulder couldn't, but maybe William could."

May 5, 10:13 pm

Rhode Island

Bomb Shelter

Mulder had brought them food at noon; if you could call two cans of strawberry Ensure food. Their escape plan had fallen through, and now they had to face another night in William's hands. They had fallen asleep last night before finishing their discussion. Scully had been avoiding the subject all day, but it was getting late, and Skinner felt that they needed to clear the air.

"Dana."

"Walter, I…"

They were interrupted by the creaking of the door hinges. Mulder came down the stairs slowly, enjoying the rattle of the chains he was holding in his left hand. He put his finger to his lips and punctuated the movement by resting his hand on the butt of his gun. He went to Skinner first. Mulder pulled out the same hunting knife as last time and Skinner couldn't help but pull back as the cut on his stomach burned. Pulling out the Glock, Mulder ignored the movement and cut the rope that bound Skinner's feet together.

"Move and I shoot." Skinner froze as Mulder snapped leg irons around his ankles.

"You'd be surprised what you can get when you tell the saleslady you're into bondage." Mulder said as he clasped a similar, if smaller, pair of leg irons around Scully's legs. Mulder yanked her to her feet and cut her wrist bindings. He backed up, out of range of her arms, and gestured towards Skinner.

"Untie his wrists and take the leashes off." Scully shuffled over to Skinner and untied his wrists, fumbling a bit because of her numb fingers. Rubbing his wrists, Skinner stood, yanked off the irritating rope, and faced Mulder. Scully stood slightly to Skinner's left, almost brushing his elbow. As she tried to read Mulder's face, tried to figure out what he was going to do, their eyes met. There was nothing of Mulder left. Scully pulled back from the stranger in Mulder's body. William seemed amused.

"Ah. You can tell, can't you? He tried to kill me, you know." William pulled down the neck of the black turtleneck sweater he was wearing to show a long, thin knife mark.

"He made me and then tried to kill me. He said he'd rather die than let me do what I'm planning. Fortunately for me, he was weak. Mulder is dead, long live William." Scully's eyes watered as she realized that her partner was truly gone. This monstrosity in front of her was some Hyde gone wild.

"I'll kill you myself, murderer!" She shrieked as her sorrow took control of her body. She threw herself at him. William smiled and backhanded her. The momentum threw her back, into Skinner's arms. Her split lip bled and mixed with the hot, angry tears that fell down her cheeks. Skinner was torn. Half of him wanted to comfort her, but the other half wanted to destroy the monster that had hurt them and usurped Mulder. William took away his options. Pulling out his Glock and sitting on the bottom stair, William smirked at the spectacle in front of him.

"I've decided to go through with my plans. If Mulder fought so hard to stop me, it should be fun. You said you'd do anything to save Skinman here, right? Right?"

"Yes." Scully growled, sudden fear in her eyes. This wasn't Mulder she was dealing with anymore. They'd have to be very careful.

"Kiss him."

"What?" Skinner and Scully asked increduously.

"No." Skinner said firmly. William stood. Pointing the Glock at Skinner's head, he repeated his demand.

"Kiss him, or I'll kill him." Scully looked up at her boss, now her friend. He looked at her, and she could tell he didn't want to die, but he also didn't want to force her into anything she didn't want to do. She kissed him. A quick, hard kiss of desperation and obedience, and, as she drew back, she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Walter. I won't let him kill you."

William wasn't satisfied. He sat back down on the stairs, but kept the gun on Skinner's head.

"Mulder didn't watch all those movies for no reason. You know what I want. Do it." Skinner reached his boiling point. He knew exactly what this man was insinuating. A kiss was one thing, but he would rather die then subject Dana to this, this perversion.

"Kill me first." He said before Dana could respond. William smiled. He cocked the gun.

"Delighted." He seemed to pause. "Of course, you know that if you don't do it, I will. And I'll be a lot less… gentle. Also, I have a feeling Scully wouldn't enjoy it as much, would you Scully?" Her fury at being forced into this position, and now being haggled over like a piece of meat reached an all time high.

"I'll kill you, you son of a…"

"Tut, tut, tut, Scully. Such language! You know his won't be a quick death. Maybe I'll shoot him in the stomach. I've heard that was painful, but you'd know better than me. He can bleed to death watching us. Kind of sets the mood, don't ya think?" Scully's eyes widened in horror at what he was suggesting. She realized that, one way or another, this was going to happen. She looked up at Walter's stony face. His eyes showed no fear for himself, but she knew he was dieing at the thought of not being around to protect her from this monster.

"No." She whispered. William lowered the gun.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear you." He said. He had heard her perfectly.

"I said no. I'll do it." She looked up at Walter's dismayed face. "We'll do it."

"No. Dana, you can't. I won't do that to you." Walter whispered vehemently.

"As long as we're alive, we have hope. It's okay, Walter. It's my choice." She whispered back.

"I… I don't think I can do it. Not like this." He whispered, sickened at the thought.

"We'll make it through. It'll be okay, Walter."

"Enough talk! Hurry it up!" Mulder sneered as he brought the gun back up. The prisoners shot him a look of such hatred and malevolence that they were both surprised when he didn't melt from the heat. Scully swallowed hard and pulled on Walter's arm. She sat on one hip on the hard dirt floor and pulled Walter down next to her. Even sitting, the large man seemed to tower over her. Dana knew he'd make no move, would never assume to touch her, so she reached up and cupped his face in her tiny hand. Walter almost pulled back from her icy touch but remembered, just in time, that they had an audience. He was suddenly grateful that his glasses were long gone. At least he didn't have to clearly perceive William sitting there, watching them; Walter was ironically appreciative of the fuzziness of the world around him. Unfortunitly, Scully could see things quite clearly, and her options were not looking good. Shakily, Dana slid her hand around to the back of his neck and pulled Walter down into a passionate kiss. Walter's eyes grew wide at the anger and passion behind the kiss. He leaned in and strengthened it. If she had kissed him like this any other time… No. Walter pulled away from the kiss with his eyes closed; a mantra repeating through his mind. I will not enjoy it. I will not use Dana like this.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He kept repeating to her, over and over again. He refused to open his eyes, dreading the sight of her fear and revulsion. Her tiny, cold hand stroked his cheek once again.

"Walter, it's okay. It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong. We have to keep going, please? He's getting impatient. I… I don't want him to hurt us." He finally opened his eyes and saw fear, but not fear of him, fear from the consequences of their slow pace. He swallowed hard as he realized what would happen to her if he didn't cooperate. He nodded and tried to curl into the deepest parts of his mind as she pulled him down to lay beside her. She unbuttoned his blue dress shirt and pulled it off. His white undershirt was stained with a strip of red blood. He winced as he lifted his arms to take his undershirt off, the movement pulling on his healing wound. Dana's delicate fingers traced the tender area.

"That's going to leave a scar." She whispered, needing to revert into her doctor persona.

"It's not the only one." Walter said seriously. She nodded. She began to unbutton her blouse, revealing a lacy peach-colored bra. Walter kept his gaze firmly on her face. She slid out of the shirt and folded it neatly, laying it beside her on the floor. She unbuttoned her slacks and finally looked up. Walter's eyes never wavered. She glanced down towards his waist, then back in his pained eyes. He knew what she needed him to do. Steeling himself, he pulled at his belt. They both kept their eyes to the floor as they unzipped their pants. Movements hindered by the leg irons, Dana scooted to Walter's side. He erased all thoughts that intruded and focused on her eyes, only her eyes. She was crying. Oh, God. I made her cry. He thought despondently. As if she could read his mind, she moved in to kiss his cheek and whispered in his ear.

"It's not your fault. Whatever happens, it's not your fault." Before he could respond, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips to his. At the feel of her body against his, hormones took over. Before he knew what he was doing, he pulled her into his arms and felt heat radiating from him. She responded as best she could, and he'd forgotten everything around him until he felt her tears on his face. Like silent rain, they fell from her tightly clamped eyes and dropped onto his burning cheeks. They were like an abrupt cold shower. Walter threw himself backwards and crab-crawled until his back hit the wall. He turned and vomited into the corner. What did I almost do? Oh. My. God. I've betrayed her trust. I've hurt her. I promised I wouldn't, said I'd rather die, but I was going to… I would have. Oh, God. He turned and threw up the contents of his empty stomach. If only he could throw away the thoughts as easily. A sardonic chuckle pierced the silence.

"Seems that the AD can't handle women too well." William mocked. He stood over Scully, curled up on the floor. Kicking out, he hit her in the middle of her back, causing her to scream and come out of her fetal position. William jerked her up by her arm and pushed her against the beam.

"Tomorrow, babe, it's you and me. And I won't lose my lunch." He forced her to look up at him. Bringing his mouth down on hers, he grabbed her bottom lip and bit down. She whimpered, and he let her go. She slid down the pole, covering her mouth with her hands. William snickered as he left. A dead bolt slid into place behind him. Overcoming his nausia, Walter stood and buttoned his pants. Shuffling over to her, he handed her the blouse.

"I'm sorry. I should have been able to protect you from him or at least from me." She shook her head as she slid into her shirt and buttoned it up. She stood and buttoned her pants.

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now, Sir." Walter stepped back as if slapped. Sir? What happened to Walter? Please don't push me away, not now! I'm sorry, Dana. Really. Please?

"Dana, I…" Never looking up, she turned her back on him and shuffled to the farthest corner of the room. Lying down, she curled up in a ball and cried silent, dry tears.

May 6, 8:26 am

Rhode Island

Bomb Shelter

She wouldn't respond. When he woke up this morning and saw that she hadn't moved all night, he'd begun to worry.

"Dana? Dana, are you okay?" She didn't respond. Now truly frantic, Skinner shuffled to her side.

"Dana?" He reached out to touch her shoulder. As soon as he touched her, she cried out and pulled away from him. Sitting with her arms around her knees, she rocked back and forth, eyes unseeing.

"Oh, God. Dana, no. Don't go there, please? I can't reach you if you go that far. Please, I won't hurt you. I won't even come near you. Just come out before he comes back." Skinner backed away and tried to find a spark of the woman inside. Her black eye had turned a yellow-green color, and her swollen bottom lip had dark red wounds in a bite mark pattern. He tamped down his anger, storing it up. Finally, long minutes later, she stopped rocking and started to shiver.

"Dana? What's wrong? What can I do?" Walter cried as he saw the shivers were uncontrollable.

"Sssshock. Have to get warm. Cccold." Dana whispered to herself. Walter looked around for any source of warmth, seeing nothing. He stripped off his light dress shirt and wrapped it around her. It seemed to swallow her whole, but the shivering didn't diminish. It wasn't enough.

"Dana, what else can I do? I don't have anything else…" He suddenly realized what he could do. He had to be very careful, or, instead of helping, he could make her go back to that dark place she had just escaped.

"Okay, Dana. I'm going to touch you. I promise I won't do anything except give you warmth. Will you let me?" Dana looked at him with fear, and then logical Dr. Scully won out. She closed her eyes and nodded. Scooting into the corner, Walter pulled her into his lap and tried to envelop her. She was so light, so tiny, that she almost seemed lost in his arms. He wondered how someone so tiny could be so strong.

"I'm sorry, Dana. I'm so sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I let him hurt you. I swear he won't touch you ever again. And, after this, I won't either. I promise. Please, just be okay. You said as long as we're alive, we have hope. Well, we're still breathing, aren't we?" Dana smiled painfully at that.

"Yah, we're still breathing, Walter. We're still breathing."

May 6, 9:43 pm

Rhode Island

Bomb Shelter

William came back early. The leather handle was over his shoulder again, and the Glock out and ready. Skinner was poised to attack, hidden on the stairs, but William knew immediately.

"Get down, Skinner. Against the wall or I shoot." Irritated, Skinner shambled down the stairs. Scully was back in her corner, trying to remain as small as possible. William didn't forget her.

"Scully. Come here. Now." Walter tensed but remained silent. Scully edged carefully towards William, stopping a couple of feet away. Digging in his pocket, William drew out a leather dog collar and leash. He threw them at her. Gesturing towards Skinner he said,

"Put it on him. These too." He threw her a pair of handcuffs and a gag. She looked at the restraints in dismay. A dog collar? On Walter? Oh, God, we're not going to make it. Walter looked at her as if reading her mind.

"We're still breathing." He whispered as she cuffed his hands behind his back and tied the gag. As gently as she could, she put the dog collar around his neck.

"Now what?" she asked William anxiously.

"Tie the end around the ceiling beam. Tight. Remember, I'm watching." William grinned. She threw the end of the leash over and tied it off. Walter could still breathe, but he couldn't sit or move very far. William laid his gun down on the steps, knowing Scully couldn't move fast enough to reach it with the leg irons on.

"Get over here." He ordered. Scully cautiously obeyed. She stood in front of the center pole, about ten feet away from Skinner, and waited for his inevitable first move. William grabbed the leather handle and pulled out a Bowie knife. Scully's eyes widened as she realized it was the same knife the killer Mulder had been profiling had used to disembowel his victims. She backed away until her spine pressed against the rough wood of the central pole, searching over William's shoulder to see Skinner's comforting presence. Skinner had paled when he saw the knife. Oh, God. What did Mulder say? 'I would have let them watch each other die.' Dana! He wanted to scream her name, but the gag silenced him. There was nothing he could do except get himself killed, and then she would be alone with this monster. She still had hope, maybe she could stop him. Skinner tested the handcuffs, feeling the cold metal cut into his wrists. The leather collar pulled at him every time he moved. He was trapped.

Scully eyed the knife and tried to remember her self-defense training. William saw the analysis and smiled. After all, he knew everything Mulder had. Before she could act, he strode forward and shoved the edge of the knife under her chin. Pressing hard enough to see blood, he bared his teeth and got in her face.

"You even twitch and this knife slides through your throat like butter. You're mine." He pressed his body against hers, feeling her shake. He drew power from the uncontrollable fear that radiated out from her. His tongue slid out and licked the scars he'd left from his love bite. She tried to pull away in revulsion, but that only made him mad. He kissed her, as hard as he could, and pushed his tongue into her mouth. He held her there until she was fighting for breath. He let her lips go and licked his, reveling in the taste of her fear and hatred.

Walter fought, choking himself; he pulled against the leash until he thought he would pass out. No! I promised I wouldn't let him touch her! Get away from her! I'll kill you! His rage grew with every gasp of pain she tried to muffle. William blocked her body from his view, but Walter could hear everything and could see enough to know she was suffering and couldn't escape. He fought and pulled and cut his throat unmercifully, straining to escape and help her, save her. As William bent, Skinner saw her eyes. They were blank, empty, far away. Fury exploded from every fiber of his being. He pulled as hard as he could, continuously. Turning his back, he put all the pressure onto his spinal cord and pulled.

"Walter!" Dana screamed as William ripped off her blouse and threw her to the ground. Skinner didn't turn. He fed his fury with every whimper he had heard, every gasp of pain, and, finally, with that last desperate cry for help. The leash snapped.

May 6, 10:02 pm

Rhode Island

Bomb Shelter

"Walter, stop! Stop!" Dana screamed as she grabbed his arm. The red faded from his vision and his leg stopped. Walter shook his head, confused. What happened? I remember the leash snapping, and then… Walter looked down at the bloody body lying before him. Did I kill him? Walter wondered idly, not really caring if he had. The body moved. William turned his face to look at Skinner.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I won't do it again. I promise." Fox whispered. His large brown eyes seemed to widen, then with a sigh, the light went out of them. Scully checked his pulse and stood.

"I killed him." Skinner said hollowly as she removed the gag. He looked up at Scully.

"Why don't I feel bad? Dana, I just killed an agent. I killed Mulder. Why don't I feel guilty?" Dana put her hand in the pocket of Mulder's overcoat and pulled out the key to the handcuffs, then a larger key. She bent down and unlocked her leg irons, letting them fall where she stood. She walked over to Walter and unlocked his handcuffs. He rubbed his wrists and undid the collar around his neck as Scully removed the leg irons, bloody from the fight. Dana slid into her shredded shirt, buttoning as best she could. Moving back to Walter's side, she touched his neck, examining the raw wounds he had rubbed in his struggles.

"Mulder was already dead. You killed a monster. If I know you, you'll feel plenty of guilt later." Walter grabbed her probing fingers and pulled her into a desperate hug.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make him stop sooner. I'm so sorry you had to go through this." He realized he had touched her without her permission and drew back immediately.

"Oh, God. I'm sorry. I promised I wouldn't touch you…" She interrupted him.

"Walter, it's okay. If you apologize anymore, I'm going to have to hurt you. You saved me. Thank you." She hugged him this time. He didn't know what kind of relationship she expected from all this, but, at that moment, he was certain he couldn't go back to being Sir.

"Well, I think we've got a few things to talk about, don't we Dana?" He smiled down at her.

"You know, Walter, I think that's the first time I've seen you smile." She said, smiling.

The house in RI had a bomb shelter that dad abused F in. Fox- brown eyes, Mulder- green eyes, William- blue eyes. Got into the head of an abused torturer, thinks Sc and Sk have relationship- glances. Revenge on Sk/B for being boss/father, abuse from childhood, torture Sc for betrayal and make Sk hurt. What else? W kills M and takes over body. Split personality. After an extended confinement, Sc and Sk call each other Dana and Walter. Makes W mad. Sk throws up when W tells him to love Sc, W amused, leaves them alone. Tie Sk to leash, chokes, breaks leash, kill W.


End file.
